I was walking down the hallway when I heard screaming come from Avi's room. I saw a huge group of doctors and nurses rush into it. I ran towards the room as fast as I could. My heart began to race. I had no idea what was going on.
Mitch came out of the room, tears streaming down his face. As I approached him he pushed me away from the door. "You don't want to go in there," He warned me.
"What's going on?" I questioned, scared of what the answer may be. I tried peering into the room but Mitch blocked my every viewing point. "Mitch, what's going on?" I asked again.
I pushed by Mitch and made it into the room. All doctors were hovering over Avi. "What's going o-," A doctor ran to the side and I saw what was going on. He was on the bed convulsing. Doctors were trying to stabilise him but weren't succeeding.
The sound of the monitor was going off the charts. "It keeps going up," One of the nurses commented. "His heart rate is dangerously high,"
All of a sudden he stopped. The monitor flatlined. The beep continued. I dropped to the floor and cried hard. I wept as I already knew what had happened.
"Scott," Mitch shook me awake. I opened my eyes and saw Mitch's concerned face staring at me. "You alright?" He asked me in a concerned tone handing me a cup of coffee.
"Bad dream," I replied. It had been two days since I brought Avi here. He still hadn't woke up. The only thing that kept me at ease was the sound of the monitor tracking his heartbeat. I hadn't slept right for the past couple days. I just couldn't get my fears out of my mind.
"Want to talk about it?"
"Not really," I responded. There was a silence only filled by the beeping of his monitor. "How are things going with moving?"
"It's tough but we finally have an apartment. All we need to do is move our stuff into it. I just wish Avi was awake so that we could move together. It's hard when you're one man down,"
"Well, I'm always available if you need me,"
Mitch's phone rang and he picked up. "Hi, Mrs Kaplan," He greeted. Their conversation continued. "Alright. I'll come get you," He ended the call and put his phone away. "His mom is here," Mitch got up and left the room. I was left still holding his hand, hoping he'd wake up.
I was slightly nervous about meeting his mother. He had never mentioned her at all. I didn't know anything about his family and I don't think he mentioned me to them. I didn't know whether she'd like me or even accept me but I guess the concern was more on Avi, not on me.
Mitch returned with Avi's mother. She was a long-haired blonde woman with blue eyes. The paleness of her hair and her eyes made her seem angelic. She didn't even pay attention to me when she walked in. She just stared at Avi as if something divine was happening. She walked up to his bed and just continued to look at him. She kissed him on the cheek and looked at him. She held my hand while I was holding Avi's. I looked up at her and she looked back at me as if she knew me. She held my gaze for a while. "Who are you?" She asked me.
"I-I," I stammered nervously.
"That's Scott. He's Avi's boyfriend," Mitch answered for me.
"Boyfriend?" She turned to look at Mitch and then back at me. "Avi didn't tell me he had a boyfriend,"
"I don't think he was ready to tell you yet," Mitch continued to answer for me. She was still holding my hand. I had no idea when she'd let go.
"You're the one who brought my baby here?" She asked me curiously.
"Yes, ma'am," I replied.
"And you've been here the whole time?"
"Yes,"
She let go of my hand and patted me on the shoulder, smiling at me. I smiled back at her. "This probably isn't the introduction Avi would've wanted us to have. But you seem good for him,"
"Thank you," I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I brought it out and saw my boss was calling. "Excuse me," I let go Avi's hand and placed it back on the bed. I left the room and answered the call. "Hello?"
"Scott, where have you been?" He asked me. "The crowds miss you,"
"I've been in hospital," I answered.
"Are you ok?"
"Yes, but my boyfriend isn't," I started roaming the hallways. "He's in a coma. Now I understand if you want me to come on but I'd really like to stay with h-"
"You've been such a hard worker. If you need time off, take it. I get it,"
"Thank you for being so understanding,"
"I hope your boyfriend wakes up soon. Stay safe!" He ended the call and I began to head back to Avi's room.
